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State sets new minimum scores for high-school graduation

Washington’s State Board of Education has set a minimum score that students must reach on a new state assessment to earn a high-school diploma.

After a long and sometimes contentious debate, the state Board of Education set new minimum scores Wednesday that high-school students must reach on standardized English and math tests in order to graduate.

The scores are lower than a national consortium recommended would indicate a student is ready for college or a career. State Board members say they represent, in effect, a temporary graduation standard while the state’s students transition to the new, more rigorous Common Core standards.